Crested Guineafowl

Introduction: Crested guineafowl (Guttera edouardi) are noisy birds that vocalize well into the night and before dawn. They prefer a habitat of forest edge and in thick bush under the foliage. Flocks of over 20 birds are common and for all the noise they make, can be conspicuous and secretive. This species of guineafowl become tame in the vicinity of bush camps and are often seen on the sides of dirt roads in forest and woodland. They roost at night in trees and move out of the forest areas in the morning to preen and take advantage of the morning sun.

Distribution: There is an isolated population in the Caprivi either side of the Kwando River.

Diet: Crested guineafowl are omnivorous eating a wide range of fruits and berries, seeds, soft shoots, green leaves stems, roots and bulbs. They also consume spiders, beetles, termites, millipedes and grasshoppers. They forage on the ground in fallen leaves and will fly into trees to pick fruit and berries.

Breeding: Females lay between 4 and 7 eggs with an incubation period of 23 days.

Description: Crested guineafowl have characteristic crests of long black feathers. Their plumage is black with white spots and the wing and body feathers have a bluish tinge. Guttera is the Latin word for drop-shaped spots. They are named after Edouard Verreaux, a French natural history dealer.

Size: 50cm.

Weight: 1.5kg.